Tuyere



Nov. 4, 1941. w. H. OSBORN 2,261,559

TUYERE v Filed Aug. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jay-1. f

INVENTOR fiaMam,

ATTORNEY WILLIAM H. OSBORN Nov. 4, 1941.

w. H.' OSBORN TUYERE Filed Aug. 2, 1940 2 Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM H. USBORN ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Phelps, Dodge Corporation, New York, N. Y., a a corporation of New York Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,467

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a improved nozzle or tuyre and particularly to a tuyre adapted for use in a tin converter.

In the separation of tin from other metals with which it is commonly associated, sulfur or preferably sulfur containing substances, such as pyrites, is blown, in finely divided condition through the molten mixture of metals or metal compounds, together with a reducing gas, which may be the combustion product of oil in air in such proportions as to give a reducing atmosphere. By this operation, the tin compounds are reduced and sulfidized and are blown off as stannous sulfide.

It is an object of the present invention, to provide an improved nozzle or tuyere for the introduction of solids and gases. A further and more specific object is to provide an improved tuyere through which sulfur containing solids, oil and air may be introduced into a tin converter. Another object is to provide an improved means for cleaning the tuyere without stopping its operation. It is also an object to provide means for cooling and thus preventing burning of the tuyre. Other objects will become apparent.

In describing the invention, reference will be made to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tin converter including tuyres embodying the invention. Figure 2 is an end elevation of the converter shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 is an enlarged fractional sectional view of a portion of the converter including one of the tuyres, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, with certain portions shown in elevation.

The numeral I indicates the shell of the converter which may be of steel or other suitable material. The numeral 2 indicates the lining material for the converter, which may be made up of a layer or brickwork of dolomite or of other suitable refractory converter lining material.

The tuyere pipe 3 is a 1 inch extra heavy standard steel pipe extending through the brickwork 2 and the shell I. The outer end of this pipe is screwed or otherwise attached to the block t, which may be clamped to the plate by means of cap screws or stud bolts 6. The plate 5 is welded or riveted or otherwise fastened to the shell I.

The block 4 is provided with a cylindrical conduit 1 which is a continuation of the inside diameter of the pipe 3. Inside the pipe 3 and extending into the block 4 there is a -inch standard steel pipe 8 positioned to leave an annular space between it and the pipe 3. This annular space communicates through an outlet 9 in the block 4 with a conduit II], which may be a bent pipe, rubber hose or other rigid or flexible section, preferably with easily detachable fastenings, connected to a 1 inch standard pipe I I for supplying air to the tuyre. A suitable valve for controlling the flow of air through the detachable conduit I0 may be provided, if desired.

The outer end of the block 4 is out out to receive a block I2 which may be held in place by means of set screws I2a or by other suitable means. This block I2 is provided with a Y-shaped conduit communicating with the inside of the pipe 8. The Y-shaped conduit has one branch I3 that connects with a detachable conduit I4, which may be similar to the conduit I0, having a pet cock Ma and leading to a 1 /2 inch pipe I5 through which powdered sulfur or pyrites may be supplied, for example, by blowing with air. The other branch I6 of the Y-shaped conduit communicates with a detachable conduit H, which also may be similar to the conduit I0, having a needle valve Ho. and connected to a inch pipe I8 for supplying oil under pressure to the tuyre. A spray nozzle or atomizer I9 is positioned within the conduit I6 in order that the oil may be introduced into the stream of air and sulfur containing substance in a finely divided condition.

The conduits I3 and I6 are each positioned at an angle of about from the center line of the tuyere and the block I2 is provided with a conduit 20 of the same size and serving as an extension of the stem of the Y-shaped coduit beyond the confluence of the conduit I3 and I6.

A cleaning rod ZI is provided, having a head 22 enlarged substantially to the size of the conduit 20 so as to provide a fit in that conduit and in the tuyre pipe 8 such as to permit itto be pushed through them easily (for example .01" to .015" clearance). The head 22 is normally positioned in the conduit 20 and the stem of the rod extends outwardly through a packing gland and has a handle 23 fixed to its outer end. The packing gland is made up of a member 24 and a member 25 between which there is positioned a suitable packing material 26 around the stem of the clean-out bar 2|. This packing material 26 may be of asbestos (Garlite packing) or of other suitable'packing material. It is compressed against the packing gland member 25 by the packing gland member 24, which latter may be tightened by means of the stud bolts 21 extending into the block l2.

A number of these tuyres, for example, six of them, may be positioned along the side of a horizontally disposed cylindrical converter having an opening 28 at the top for feeding and discharging the material to and from the converter and having rings 29, 29 at each end on which the converter may roll on rollers and a ring gear 30 by which the converter may be rotated to any desired position. As illustrated in Figure 2, the tuyres are normally situated in the quadrant below the horizontal at a position about 25 below the horizontal line from the center of the converter and pointing upwardly into the converter at an angle of about below the line connecting the outer end of the tuyre pipe with the center of the converter. The pipes ll, l5 and I8 are shown as carried by the converter and extending inwardly to points near the axis of rotation of the shell. They may be connected at their ends by universal joints and short length flexible couplings to fixed pipes communicating with the sources of supply, whereby the furnace may be tilted without disconnecting them. Or those pipes may be supported separately from the converter and the flexible conduits Ill, l4 and I1 may be of sufficient length to permit the desired tilting of the converter. If preferred, any and all of the conduits for supplying air, oil and sulfur may be rigid and they, or the conduits connecting the pipes H, l5 and I8 with the source of supply if those pipes are carried on the converter, may be provided with means for making rapid connections and disconnections. ways may be provided for connecting these conduits.

In the operation of the tuyre described above, air is introduced through the tubing l0 and the annular conduit between the pipes 8 and 3. At the same time, sulfur or other sulfur carrying material such as pyrite is blown in by a stream of air through the pipe I4 and oil is sprayed through the atomizer I9 which breaks the stream of oil up into fine particles or a spray which is further atomized by the stream of sulfur-bearing air that impinges against it from the conduit l3. The packing 26 between the glands 24 and 25, together with the surface of the packing gland 25 against which the enlarged head 22 of the rod 2| bears, serve to prevent leakage around the rod 2|. When it is desired to clean out the tuyre, the rod 2| may be pushed quickly forward and withdrawn to the position illustrated in the drawings without turning off the supply of oil and sulfur to the tuyre. The rod may then be left in its withdrawn position until it is desired to effect another cleaning operation.

The passage of air through the annular space around the tuyere pipe 8 cools it and the tube 3 to prevent them from overheating, thus avoiding their burning back to such an extent that if they become plugged the oil that is sprayed through the pipe 8 would seep through the brickwork and cause back leakage through the shell of the converter. Also, the separate means for supplying air to the annular space around the tuyre tube 8 permits a regulation of the air so as to get the desired division of air between that supplied with the sulfur and that serving to cool the tuyre. The division of the air introduced through the conduits I0 and I4 should be such that the amount of air carried through the annular space between pipes 3 and 8 will be sufiicient to provide the desired cooling effect and the amount Obviously other P:

of air carried by the pipe M will be sufficient to hold the sulfur-bearing substance in suspension and to provide the desired further atomization oi the oil from the pipe [1. The sum total of these two air streams should be sufficient to permit combustion of the oil with a strongly reducing flame.

Many modifications may be made in utilizing the invention and it is not intended to limit it to the particular construction or use illustrated and described. For example, more or less conduits may be connected to the blocks 4 and I2 where it is desired to introduce more or less solid, liquid or gaseous constituents. Also, if desired an airoil atomizing spray, supplied with oil from one pipe and air from another, could be used in place of the atomizer IS. The tuyere may be used for other uses than in a tin converter and various features of the invention may be used alone or together in other similar pieces of apparatus, for example, as in liquid or gaseous burners or in nozzles for feeding other liquid and solid materials, such, for instance, as in the feeding of air, coal dust and oil in the blowing of zinc out of slag.

The terms used in describing the invention have been used in their descriptive sense and not as terms of limitation and it is intended that all equivalents of the terms used be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tuyre, comprising a tuyre tube, a conduit for supplying a finely divided solid sulfur containing substance and air to said tuyere tube, a conduit for supplying fuel to said tuyere tube, a tube surrounding said tuyere tube providing an annular space therebetween, separate means for supplying air to said annular space, a rod having an enlarged head with a diameter of substantially the inside diameter to be maintained in said tuyre tube and having a stem at least as long as said tuyre tube, an extension of said :tuyre tube extending rearwardly beyond the junction of said conduits with the tuyere tubes, a packing gland surrounding the stem of said rod and positioned to leave a space in said extension of the tuyere tube to receive the enlarged head of said rod when withdrawn.

2. A tuyre for use in treating molten materials in a lined furnace, comprising a tuyere tube extending into said furnace and through the lining thereof at a point capable of being positioned below the level of the molten material therein, means for supplying fuel to said tuyre tube, a tube surrounding said tuyere tube, said surrounding tube also extending through the lining of the furnace and providing an annular space between it and the tuyre tube, and means for supplying air to said annular space.

3. A tuyere as defined in claim 2 in which th cross sectional area of the annular space between the two tubes is less than that within the tuyere tube.

4. A tuyere for use in treating molten materials in a lined furnace, comprising a tuyre tube extending into said furnace and through the lining thereof at a point capable of being positioned below the level of the molten material therein, means for blowing finely divided iron pyrites with air and oil into said tuyre tube, a tube surrounding said tuyre tube, said surrounding tube also extending through the lining of the furnace and providing an annular space between it and the tuyere tube, and means for supplying air to said annular space.

5. A tuyere as defined in claim 4, in which the cross sectional area of the annular space between the tubes is less than that within the tuyre tube and more than half that within the tuyere tube.

6. A tuyre for use in treating molten materials in a lined furnace, comprising a tube extending into said furnace through the lining thereof and terminating at its outer end in a block fixed to the shell of the furnace, a tuyre tube extending intosaid furnace through the lining thereof and positioned within said first mentioned tube to provide an annular space therebetween, said tuyere tube terminating in a block removably fixed to said first mentioned block, a conduit in said first mentioned block for supplying air to said annular space and a plurality of conduits in said removable block for supplying air and fuel to said tuyere tube.

'7. A tuyre for use in treating molten materials in a lined furnace, comprising a tube extending into said furnace through the lining thereof and terminating at its outer end in a block fixed to the shell of the furnace, a tuyre tub extending into said furnace through the lining thereof and positioned within said first mentioned tube to provide an annular space therebetween, said tuyre tube terminating in a block removably fixed to said first mentioned block, a conduit in said first mentioned block for supplying air to said annular space, a plurality of conduits in said removable block for supplying air and fuel to said tuyere tube, an xtension of said tuyere tube in said removable block extending rearwardly beyond the points of entry of said conduits and a rod having a head with a diameter of substantially the inside diameter to be maintained in said tuyere tube and normally positioned in said extension of said tuyere tube so as not to interfere with flow of fluids through said tuyre tube and adapted to be advanced through said tuyere tube to clean it out.

8. A tuyre comprising a tuyere tube, an inlet for air and a solid material entering said tuyere tube at an obtuse angle, an inlet for a liquid fuel entering said tuyere tube at an obtuse angle and positioned opposite said first mentioned material inlet, a tube surrounding said tuyere tube to provide an annular space for introduction of 'additional air and a push rod for cleaning said tuy'ere tube.

WILLIAM H. OSBORN. 

